Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: The Chains of Fate
by TheStrangerThatCameFromNowhere
Summary: Retired.


**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS. This series and its characters belong to Konami. Any relation to places and characters, living or dead, are purely coincidental.

* * *

Okay, so… Let's start this from the top.

For the sake of confidentiality, I won't say my name. And sadly, aside from this recording, my Duel Disk and my Deck, I don't have any definitive proof for what you're about to hear. You're just going to have to take my word for it.

Just know that what I'm about to tell you is...well, I'll just say it straight out. It's gonna sound a lot like those light novels and mangas you've probably read where the main character gets stranded in some other world.

Hard to believe, but...it did happen to me.

I'll start at the beginning. You might want to grab a soda and something to eat. This is gonna take a while.

Just know that this...is my story. And every word of it is true.

* * *

**Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: The Chains of Destiny**

* * *

CHAPTER_01: The_Girl

* * *

So, a little bit about me before we get started.

I'm female, for one. I was originally a mall officer before I was given the damn pink slip and forced to find a new job. I'm currently employed at a small pharmacy in the city I live in. It's a fairly nice place, if you can withstand the constant arguing of your neighbors and live in a small apartment. I also like writing. It's been a childhood dream of mine to win the Pulitzer Award, and I've been trying to apply for a job at a local news outlet.

No real luck there, unfortunately.

When I was in middle school, my friend introduced me to a couple of sights where I could practice my writing skills. One of them was fictionpress. Basically, you could write your own original stories and post them online. The other was fanfiction, which speaks for itself. I was more drawn to that site because of all the little thoughts and ideas I could think up while watching my favorite shows or playing my favorite games.

As for my username, TheStrangerThatCameFromNowhere, well I kind of thought that name up at random. There was no real reason behind the name. In fact, I kind of think it's self-explanatory, considering how people on this site can choose to remain anonymous. One of the aspects I like about the internet. Even on a sight like this one, you can just be someone else and expose a side of yourself you wouldn't want to show others.

Anyway, one of my more popular stories was a crossover I made a long time ago. Between a video game series and a real-life card game.

Before you ask, the card game was Yu-Gi-Oh! I practically grew up watching the original anime series. I did eventually find the rest of the other series, though a friend recommended I watch the original subs since some stuff in the animes was cut from the original series, likely because of censorship and all that.

To this day, I still question who thought it was a good idea to rename Shuzo Hiiragi "Skip" of all things. But I digress.

I had just recently gotten finished writing my newest story and decided to take a break. It was a late afternoon in the summer. There was a nice breeze out, so I was able to pop open my window and turn on the fan. I wasn't a big fan of the cold, but in times of warm weather I preferred freezing my butt off over melting. I was playing Destiny 2 with a couple friends of mine. Say what you will about Eververse and microtransactions, but I loved the game.

And I certainly loved putting a bullet in Uldren Sov. Hastag HowsYourSister.

I was getting a bit frustrated because I was attempting to do a quest. It was difficult with the gear I had right now, so I decided to try asking a help from one of the people I befriended way back when during Rise of Iron. The problem, unfortunately, was that for whatever reason, the guy kept standing still and didn't do anything. At first, I thought it was maybe a bad connection, but there was no lag or anything.

It was maybe the heat getting to me, but I had enough and just decided to try doing the quest another day and turned off my PS4. I needed a break anyway, so I decided to boot up my computer and talk with a few friends online. They were all pretty much people I met during my days in high school. Some were guys I made friends with in the Yu-Gi-Oh! club. I still wonder how the school even allowed that club to be made, but I wasn't complaining.

We were basically discussing the newest episode of the new anime, VRAINS. It was maybe one of my favorite series', second best after 5Ds. Of course, I did have a few problems with it. Namely, Aoi's deck near the end of Season 2 and how they portrayed Go Onizuka.

For the sake of this recording, however, I won't say my thoughts. Just know that I could get...pretty heated about these sorts of discussions.

My friends and I were discussing the recent reveal of Ai being the new villain. The sole female member of the YGO club from school was gushing about how cool his design was while I was confused on whether or not Robopoppi was a boy or girl. And how adorable he was. Did I mention adorable?

The talks didn't last for very long. It seemed like they were pretty busy that day. We had all gone our separate ways and had gotten into work not long after graduation, after all. Last I remember, a few of them got employed at some office job in Chicago.

After we were done talking, I was about to get ready to work on the next chapter for my story. I was planning on taking a break from my crossover story and work on another of my more popular stories. It was also a crossover, this one being between Persona 5 and Death Note. I still wonder why it's so freaking popular. I had already switched over to fanfiction when I suddenly got a weird message. It was from someone I didn't know.

Now, normally, I don't answer messages from people I don't know. This one time, I got a message on facebook that quickly devolved into what I quickly realized was a scam and damn near paid for it. Later on, I was curious and learned that the message was also apparently from some kind of scamming bot of all things.

Looking at this new message, I wondered if this was going to be another scam or just another bot. The username suggested it wasn't the case.

I mean, really. Who comes up with _XxX_IluvYusaku_?

Out of partial curiosity, I accepted the request and opened up a chat.

_TheStrangerThatCameFromNowhere: Hello. You have a unique username._

_XxX_IluvYusaku_: _Why, thank you. I'm a fan of Playmaker's! What about you? I notice your username is the same as that fanfiction author I follow._

_TheStrangerThatCameFromNowhere: Guilty as charged. Out of curiosity, which story is your favorite? Let me guess, Fate/VRAINS?_

_XxX_IluvYusaku: But of course :) I have to say, I'm a big fan of your work. I especially love how…_

From there, we got into a small discussion, going back and forth about who are our favorite characters were and the little what-ifs the anime could have gone. We also expressed some disappointment when we learned that there would be no manga for Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS, at least to our knowledge. I really would have liked to know what the manga storyline would have been like, considering that, aside from the manga for the original Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, they were usually quite different. We also got into a bit of a talk regarding self-insert fanfictions.

Looking back at it now, I realize how ironic this talk was.

See, I had a skeptical look at self-insert stories. Truthfully, I only liked two self-insert stories. One was Dreaming of Sunshine, which is a Naruto story, and the other is a Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V story called VOC. I'm also aware that most people tend to avoid self-insert stories, namely because people go the extra mile to become stupidly overpowered in those stories.

One part of our conversation I vividly remember before things went weird was the talk about Windy's Origin. We must have talked for hours, discussing about the what-ifs and possibilities and the hopes that we might get a glimpse of their character. I'm still holding out that hope for Season 3.

After that talk, though, the guy or chick I was talking to asked a strange question.

_XxX_IluvYusaku: Say, can I ask something? Are you satisfied with your life?_

I raise an eyebrow at that question. It was weird how they asked such a question, right out of the blue. I won't lie, though. Part of me was a bit unsatisfied with my life. I wanted to live a bit more excitingly. Maybe go backpacking one of these days. I always dreamed of visiting Seattle, but with my salary, I doubt that would ever happen.

_TheStrangerThatCameFromNowhere: I guess not, really. Why do you ask?_

_XxX_IluvYusaku: I'm just curious. Whenever I read your stories, I can't help but wonder why it seems like you want to live in the worlds you make._

_TheStrangerThatCameFromNowhere: I think that's normal for every writer, though._

_XxX_IluvYusaku: No, no. The way you do it is...interesting._

At this point, I was growing concerned. What was up with this person? Before I could type a reply, they asked another weird question.

_XxX_IluvYusaku: Say, if I said I could make your life "interesting," what would you think?_

I took the time to read what they were asking, then question whether or not they were high. Or if this was another scam. I rolled my eyes and was about to unfriend them when a mischievous idea came to mind. My friend told me that, the next time I bot came around and tried to eff around with me, I should mess with it. Go with the flow before pulling the rug from underneath them. I had the perfectly opportunity, so why not?

I would sorely regret that decision later on, just so you know.

_TheStrangerThatCameFromNowhere: I would say you're on crack, but hey, I'm willing to share in the juice if you'll excuse the weird phrase. How interesting are we talking here?_

_XxX_IluvYusaku: Quite interesting. Perhaps even life-changing. Are you interested?_

_TheStrangerThatCameFromNowhere: Sure. What you got for me, friend?_

There was no response at first. I was wondering if, maybe, the bot decided to scamp out. Then, next thing I know, my computer starts to wig out. I thought it was a virus or something, which was odd since I ran Nortons not too long ago. The screen just went black with red static occasionally flickering back and forth, on and off. I honestly had no idea what was happening and resorted to slapping my computer to try and get it to work. It didn't work, sadly. In fact, it just made the static worse.

I smacked the screen by mistake, and next thing I know, my hand just slips right on through like I had just dipped my hand into water. It caught me by surprise. I felt like I was reliving the moment when Yu Narukami was about to find himself in a murder mystery when I felt something tugging at my arm from the other end. I didn't get what was happening.

For the record, though, I would like to question how a computer monitor the size of my Xbox One could swallow a grown woman the size of the average adult.

If I'm being honest, I don't remember much about what happened after I somehow got sucked into my own computer screen. The experience was trippy. I felt like my head was being torn apart, pulled in so many directions. It was like vertigo at maximum. It went on for what felt like hours before everything just went black.

When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed. My first instinct was to question where in the heck I was and how I got there. A nurse who happened to be in the room at the time I woke up was kind enough to tell me that I had apparently fallen on top of someone's car and seemingly appeared from the sky. I had suffered a few fractures and a couple of broken ribs, and quite possibly a concussion. A fact proven true when I realized that not only was every part of me in pain, but I was also suffering from what was arguably the worst migraine in humankind.

I had missed the part where she told me I was in the General Hospital of Den City during this and only realized it long after she left. Not long after, she came back with two people. One was a doctor. The other was, who I thought at the time, was a very good cosplayer. Why? Well, because he was dressed up as Blood Shepard's civilian identity, Kengo Dojun.

And I could tell that he was _not_ happy.

"You have absolutely no idea how much trouble you're in, do you?"

I tilt my head and stare at him in confusion. "I-I'm sorry?"

"You should be." the guy scoffed as he sat down, arms folded. He was definitely glaring behind those sunglasses of his. "You not only messed up my car, but my superiors decided to appoint me to your case."

As one might imagine, a woman suddenly appearing out of nowhere from the sky and landing on their car tended to gather quite a bit of attention. Turns out I even appeared on the news at one point. Basically, the police attempted to find out my identity, but what identification I had on me when they found me turned out to be useless. For a wide variety of reasons. There were a few accusations that I was an illegal immigrant or a criminal, but there was no substantial proof.

I sincerely doubt people would find out info on a girl that wasn't even from this world.

Kengo, who worked for the police on top of being a bounty hunter in what amounted to a glorified MMO, was assigned to investigate me. Didn't take me long to realize, just from the fact that he was dead serious about what he was saying, and that the facts were starting to line up, that he wasn't a cosplayer but the actual Blood Shepard, that I was apparently in the anime world of Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS.

Be careful what you wish for, at its finest.

There was a lot of stuff that happened in between Kengo being my warden and me becoming an official citizen of Den City after some legal hoops. He eventually decided that I was innocent and suspected that I was a victim of either identity theft or some hardcore hacking case, or I had no actual legal documentation anywhere. Given that he was assigned to my case, he was also responsible for going through the legal hoops to get me an identity.

For numerous reasons, one being that I was terrified of what could potentially happen to me, I had given Kengo a fake name. Specifically, the name of an old account I used for an online game I used to play a long while back and when I was a hardcore otaku.

Officially, I was Ayana Masumi. I'd also like to point out that I am a quarter-Asian, so I did kind of look Japanese.

That being said, I would also like to say that, just because I'm a quarter Asian, does not mean I actually spoke any native Japanese. I had a good understanding of the language, but English was my mother tongue.

That's the short version of how I ended up in the "World of VRAINS," anyway.

Ah, shit. Recorder's dying. Hold on a second…

* * *

Okay, where was I…

Oh, right. My "origin story" as comic book readers would put it.

So, back to my status in the World of VRAINS. Once the legal hoops and financial situations were finished, Kengo no longer needed to look after me. As part of his obligations, though, the last thing he did before we parted ways was set me up with my own apartment. It wasn't big, but it was comfortable enough for me to get stuff moved in. Kengo provided me with some spending money, so I was able to buy a few things like a bed, desk, etc.

I'd like to say that I settled into the new world easily, but...yeah, that didn't happen. Those isekai novels and stupid mangas made it loo so easily. Just because I now had official documentation didn't mean a damn thing when trying to find a job so I could support myself. Every workplace that I had experience with was either not looking for help or just flat-out refused me.

This was a major concern. Without a job, I might as well be living out on the streets. And something told me that Kengo wasn't about to go the extra mile for some woman he just met, so I was on my own here. I spent pretty much two days stewing in my room, trying to think up ideas when my neighbor, a fairly pleasant man who was kind enough to help me while I was in the process of moving furniture, asked me if I could help with his computer.

Despite the advanced, digital age this world was in, the guy used an old school computer. You know, one of those really big ones with the blocky monitors and the huge tower to go with it. Fortunately, I had some experience in working with old pieces of tech like this, courtesy of my dad who worked at a computer company. He and I shared a passion in working on old dinosaurs of computers, given that, compared to the newer stuff, they weren't all that complicated.

I fixed up his computer and he was kind enough to pay me for my troubles. Out of curiosity, I asked him where he got it. He told me that he had gotten it from a friend of his, who happens to own a little junkyard not too far away from my apartment. That was when an idea came to me.

Basically, I was going to run my own little computer repair shop. I'd like to say that this plan was a work in progress, given that my knowledge on the cutting edge tech used in this world was way beyond me, but that was what the internet was for. It wasn't hard to find that kind of knowledge, if you knew where to look.

The guy who ran the junkyard gave me a pretty good deal. I'd get whatever I wanted from the place and he would help me start up my business, but he'd get five percent of my earnings. Wasn't really in any position to say no.

Anyway, I managed to build a new computer from scratch, then I got to work. First place I looked into was the inner workings and data of all kind of computers. Along the way, I happened to learn a few other interesting things on forums run by your run-of-the-mill hackers, anonymous criminals, etc. I wasn't exactly sure how it happened, but I ended up getting a crash course on hacking by a guy called Spectre.

Before you ask, yes. It's who you're thinking of. Don't ask me how it happened. It just did, okay?

After a few days of research and learning, I was ready to open up shop. I started my own website and made ads and sent out flyers. After a few weeks of patiently waiting and careful use of what little funds I had left, I eventually got my first request.

It was a Wednesday afternoon. I saw kids wearing the Den Academy uniform walking about the streets, so I was assuming they had gotten out of school early. I was working on a custom project of mine, with various bits of junk, wires, metals and tubes on my desk before I heard my doorbell rang. At first, I thought it was my neighbor. I got up and I answered the door.

In no way was I expecting to see the hotdog legend himself at my doorstep. I wasn't going to lie. I damn near squealed in delight.

"Sorry to bother you, but are you Masumi-san?" Shoichi Kusanagi asked me, a box held under his arm.

I wondered if this was how fans felt when they got to meet their favorite actor, idol or gaming legend.

I nodded dumbly. "Y-yes, I am she." I cursed my poor stutter as I tried to calm down my excitement. I would also like to say that Kusanagi was cooler in person. "Can I help you?"

"I'm Kusanagi." he introduced himself, even though I already knew his name. "I run a hotdog stand over at the plaza. I happen to see an add online, saying you fixed computers for cheap?"

"That's me." I nodded. "Did you need something fixed?"

Kusanagi nodded and I welcomed him into my home. It took me a quick second to realize that I was inviting _Shoichi Kusanagi_, the mission control of Playmaker, Yusaku Fujiki, the freaking Yusei Fudo of VRAINS, into my _home_.

I was officially in heaven at that moment and living the dream.

Let me tell you, it was hell trying to contain my excitement in front of this man. Especially when he showed me the computer that needed fixing. It was an oldie. Like, mid 2000's old. A big ol' black tower with a bulky monitor to go with it, along with a mess of cords.

"It was working fine up until a few days ago." Kusanagi tells me as I examine the tower. "Monitor was just fine, too. Then, all of a sudden, it just shuts down on me."

"Did you overheat it, perhaps?"

"Nope. I hardly use this computer. In fact, last time I used it was the first time in weeks." The hotdog master smiled bashfully as he scratched his cheek. "I don't go home much these days. I'm pretty busy."

And I knew why. He was hunting down the Knights of Hanoi. He was trying to find the people responsible for hurting his little brother, Jin. Now that I think about it, I don't know if he's met Yusaku by this point in time or not. At any rate, he had my attention. I grabbed some of my tools and popped open the tower's hood, so to speak.

As it turns out, this thing had reached its lifespan. In all honesty, I'm amazed it lived for this long. Looking at the parts, I saw that some were custom-made, likely why it was still alive all this time. The other parts, however, looked either too old or worn out. I told Kusanagi as much and he sighed, scratching the back of his head.

"I thought as much… This thing was a hand-me-down from my grandparents back when they were kids." He shook his head and gave me an apologetic look. "Sorry to bother you."

"It's fine." I assured him. "I enjoy working on computers." I stare at Kusanagi's dead tower for a moment longer before I turned to him. "You could probably give it some extra life if you can get some new parts, but given how old this thing is..."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

As it turns out, spare parts for old model PCs do exist, but the problem was that they were expensive. Just a single part alone, not even the most crucial piece, was worth well over a thousand American dollars. In Japan, the prices were somehow _even higher_. This was likely done as an attempt to choke out cyber crimes. News outlets, social media and even the dark web itself had stated that modern-day hackers use old school tech, especially since it makes you harder to track down. Old model units like this one would be one of the greatest tools in hacking. By raising the prices of crucial parts for specific models, the government was effectively trying to snuff out hacking.

I pursed my lips. I felt bad that I couldn't fix this for Kusanagi. He was still willing to pay me for the job, though. I was tempted to accept his money, but I made another choice instead.

"Hey, would it be okay if I buy this from you?" Kusanagi stares at me, befuddled. "It's just, I'm working on a little project of mine, and I've been looking into some parts. Your tower's parts might be what I need. Would that be okay?"

He smiled at me and nodded. "You can take it if you want. I was actually planning on giving it away, anyway." I cheered inside my head. "Sorry to bother you, Masumi-san."

"Please, call me Ayana!" I insisted, despite the fact that Ayana Masumi was not my real name.

Kusanagi left my apartment not long afterwards, leaving me alone with his treasure. I had wasted no time in picking out the parts I needed for my project. I carefully removed the custom-made parts as to not damage them and tossed the parts that were dead into the trash bin. Before long, all that was left was a skeleton and empty husk of a computer tower. The bulky monitor had also been stripped clean as well.

I had no use for the leftovers, but maybe somebody at the junkyard could find something to make out of this.

With that in mind, I placed the stuff in a small box and made a note saying I need to go to the junkyard to drop it off before taking my newly acquired parts to the desk.

This particular project of mine was more along the lines of a pet project. I was merely doing it because there wasn't really much to do when there was no one asking me to fix their computers. While searching on the dark web, I had found a few forums that were showing off designs for custom-made Duel Disks. This got me thinking. Being the big ol' Yu-Gi-Oh! fan that I am, I thought to myself, 'why not check out LINK VRAINS for myself?'

You can't tell me that you didn't want to see your monsters come to life and kick some ass if you were in my position.

Now, here's the weirdest thing. Custom-made Duel Disks were generally seen with some suspicion. I think the big reason was because custom-made Duel Disks were modified, so they lacked much of the same features that market-brand DD's like registration and license. Ah, I should probably go over that. A license is kind of like an ID. All market-brand DD's are outfitted with a license in order to prove its authenticity. You need one if you're going to participate in public duels that are streamed or live events such as tournaments.

As for how I know this, my "partner" was the one who told me. He actually has a custom-made Duel Disk, which is to be a given, considering his career.

The reason I was making my own custom-made Duel Disk was more or less because I had to consider my options. As it stood, I couldn't really get employed, and all the newspaper outlets in Den City were generally focused on the current generation of media. In other words, everything and everything happening in cyberspace.

I swear, it feels like this is just the freaking Matrix, just less machines controlling humans and more network taking over general aspect of people's lives.

Back on topic, my back-up plan, in case my writing career didn't plan out, was to become a bounty hunter, which of course had its own fair share of risks. See, in LINK VRAINS, you only had one account. In the event the account was deleted, you would lose EVERYTHING. It was pretty much like the Oasis' mechanic from _Ready, Player One_.

God I love that book.

Now, becoming a bounty hunter is my last resort. I wouldn't go down that route unless I absolutely had to. My plan was to try and become a journalist for a company, maybe that news station that Yamamto the Frog and Sato the Pigeon were on.

...on second thought, let's not. The amount of shit those two get themselves into cannot possibly be healthy.

If worst comes to worst, I can always try my hands at freelancing.

...aaand great. My recorder's gonna die again. Cheap ass piece of shit, I swear.

* * *

So, where was I? Oh, yeah. I was building my custom Duel Disk.

It took about a few weeks, since I needed certain parts that I couldn't get at the junkyard. Said parts were also too freaking expensive to buy online, so I had to more or less wait for the opportunity. Namely, when people brought me in computers to fix. Occasionally, they'd bring in a computer that I couldn't fix, either because the hardware was just so outdated that getting replacement parts were next to impossible without coughing up some serious cash or because it was too damaged.

In either case, the irreparable computers always had something to offer. Of course, as a result of the Duel Disk being made from a mish-mash of parts, you'd be hard-pressed into thinking it even looked like one.

It had a wrist-band connector that would automatically wrap around the wrist once the scanner registered it was above the wrist. The main piece was bulky, resembling the original Duel Disks from the first series, but a bit more bulky and with a triangular center piece. Also like the old-style duel disks, it had a board blade that automatically extended when a duel was in progress.

A damn good job, if I do say so myself.

Once my Duel Disk was up and finished, I now had a new problem. Namely, creating my own deck. I used to have one back home, but sadly, it didn't carry over with me into this new world. And there were just so many choices! I couldn't decide. My first choice was to go with a D/D/D deck, like the one used by Reiji Akaba in _Arc-V_, but then I saw that the rules had changed for Duel Monsters.

Specifically, the fact that the Pendulum Zones had been moved to the leftmost and rightmost zones of the Spell/Trap Zone. Meaning, if you were gonna be a trap card whore or really loved to use Continuous cards, but also loved using Pendulum, you had to limit yourself to only three zones. Oh, and because of the updated rules, all monsters summoned from the Extra Deck could only be summoned in the Extra Monster Zone. Monsters from the hand could be placed in the Main Monster Zone, but unless you had a Link Monster that had arrows pointing to unoccupied zones, you could only bust out one Pendulum Monster from the Extra Deck.

A shame. Despite what people say, I really did like Pendulum.

My next thought was going for a junk deck, like Yusei Fudo. Legacy decks would always be the most awesome.

However, it seemed that whoever brought me here (it was that bitch _XxX_IluvYusaku_ by the way, but for the sake of spoilers, I won't tell you who she really is until near the end of this log) also gave me a present.

I was on my computer, browsing through an online card shop to look for a deck to use when my doorbell rang. At first, I thought it was my neighbor or a new customer of mine. But when I opened the door, I instead found a mailman at my doorstep, a large box in his hands.

"Excuse me. Are you Masumi, Ayana-san?" he asked me. I nodded. "Great! This is for you. Please, sign here."

I raised an eyebrow as he hands me an electronic board and pen, the kind you would normally use when your mailman's asking for yo to sign something important. "I didn't order anything, though."

"Oh, no. This is sent from someone who had your address." he told me. I stared at him in surprise before I hurriedly asked if he had checked to make sure it was safe. Hey, how would you react if you found out if someone you didn't know sent you a package? There could be a bomb or a head in there for christ's sake. To my relief, the mailman told me the package was harlmess. I signed off and he left not long afterwards, handing me the box and my usual mail. Most of it was junk anyway, so I tossed it into the trash.

Stupid freaking ads and subscriptions.

Anyway, I cut open the box. To my surprise, there was a deck lying inside. Along with the deck was a letter with my name written on it.

My actual name.

With shaky hands, I took the letter out from the box and opened it.

"_Dear Masumi-chan, as you have taken to call yourself in the World of VRAINS._

_It's been a long time since we've spoken. You might know me by my handle, XxX_IluvYusaku. I'm the one who brought you to this world, as per your desire to live an interesting life._

_Of course, I brought you here for another reason. One of which you will have to discover for yourself.__ I can't give away spoilers, not when you're living the life of one of your own fanfictions!_

_However, I'm not so cruel as to leave you defenseless. I'm giving you a gift. I think you'll come to appreciate this deck. After all, it's been made by yours truly and proof-read by your aibou, Donny!_

_Enjoy!"_

Let it be known that I have never hated someone so much as I had at this very moment. In fact, never before have I ever wanted to kill someone as much as did right now.

I would have presented this letter as another piece of evidence that I had indeed been brought to another world, but sadly, I tore it up in rage. Could you blame me? My anger lasted for about half an hour before I eventually calmed down and looked at the deck that my kidnapper had "graciously" provided me.

A bit of searching online had told me that the cards that I had been given, dubbed officially by both myself and SOL Technology as the "Aberrant" deck. It was composed of an archtype that was unheard of. The cards were all Cyberse-type as well. Even more odd was the fact that each and every one of these cards was listed being of the DIVINE Attribute.

For those who don't know, only six cards in the card game have the DIVINE Attribute. Three of those cards are Obelisk the Tormentor, Slifer the Sky Dragon and the Winged Dragon of Ra – the Egyptian God Cards. Two of the remaining three were alternate forms for the Winged Dragon of Ra. The last could be used when all three god cards were together. There were a few other cards who also possessed the DIVINE Attribute, but that was only in the anime.

Ah, wikipedia. How you never fail to amaze me, even if some people get your information wrong!

Anyway, while I was hesitant to use the Aberrant deck, I was also very eager to see how it would work. A unique deck like this was bound to get attention. And considering it was Cyberse, same type as the deck used by Yusaku and anyone else chosen by the Ignis. It made me wonder if SOL Technology would take an interest in me. I wasn't really looking forward to that if that was the case. Especially if that bitch Queen was involved.

Can we just all agree that Queen should be dropped into a ditch, fill the ditch with cement, then light the ditch on fire with oil?

The temptation, in the end, proved too much for me to handle. The deck was slotted into the Duel Disk, and my avatar was already being made. Getting an account into LINK VRAINS was actually pretty easy. All you had to do was put in your e-mail address, make a password, then create your virtual character. Pretty much not all that different from real life. I will say this, though. Creating an e-mail in this world was a real pain in the ass. Also, a _monthly_ subscription? What the actual flying fuck?!

I digress. Anyway, after an hour of customizing and developing my avatar, I was ready to dive right into the virtual world of LINK VRAINS for the first time. I sat down on my couch and closed my eyes, letting myself sink into the comfy confines of this wonderful piece of furniture. I double-checked to see if my internet connection was stable, then hooked up to LINK VRAINS.

Now, how did it go again? Oh, right! _*clears throat*_

"Into the VRAINS!"

What happens next was enough to make a guy queasy. You know how, when you start up a video game and it gives you one of those warnings about flashing lights? If someone else went through this, they'd have a seizure in seconds. Not to mention the vertigo. I felt so disoriented. The anime made it look so effortless. Everything was spinning, and I couldn't tell up from down.

By the time everything stopped spinning and the rainbow of blue and red was done spinning me around, I was barely conscious. I could barely stay on my feet. For a moment, I couldn't really see much of anything until everything settled down.

LINK VRAINS looked even cooler in person. I was in some kind of crowded street. Honestly, it felt like I hadn't even left Den City, even though I barely went into the main areas of the city at all. Of course, there was a tint of blue covering pretty much everything and the sky above didn't feel right at all. I looked down at my hands and curled my fingers, flexing them in and out. Everything just felt so real.

Ah, speaking of which, I guess I should describe how my avatar looks. For starters, I didn't try going for a younger-looking appearance. I just kept it around the same age as myself, along with the same length of hair. My face looked like an actual anime character, with rounded eyes and pink lips and a small nose. My hair was black and came down to the collar of my jacket and my eyes light brown. I was wearing a blue jacket over a button-up shirt with a black tie. Below that were black shorts, coming down just below the knee. Completing the look were boots that covered up to the calf with a metal guard over the front.

In short, I pretty much based my avatar off of the main female character from that new game that's coming out-

Wait just a second. I got to this world in July. And I've been here for, oh, maybe three months by now. And if I remember right, Astral Chain doesn't come out until, what? August? September?

...MOTHERF-_*unintelligible screaming*_

* * *

Okay… I'm calm. Sorry. I, uh, accidentally smashed by recorder. I was able to save what was recorded on there, but I had to go and buy a new one.

I swear, that bitch. Oooh, when I get my hands on her.

Anyway… Ugh, going back to what I was talking about. As I was saying earlier, my avatar is based on the female protagonist of Astral Chain. Just minus a few details, like the riot-looking armor. It was a little unoriginal, but I liked the design. And I'm an uncreative slob, so sue me.

Continuing on, I guess I should also say that my beginnings in LINK VRAINS weren't anything exciting. Sure, I had a deck I could use, but the first couple of days were just observing duels that were being broadcasted by media outlets or watching random people that were just casual duelists go at it. And let me tell you, the animes could never hope to do what a duel with Solid Vision was like in real life. Because holy shit they were awesome.

I felt like I was at my first-ever convention that was more like a candy store than a geek squad meeting place for all otaku across the globe.

Fun fact, I met Go Onizuka once. The guy was built like a truck. And his abs...damn, you could sizzle a stake on those!

...please forget you heard that.

A-hem! Anyway… For the first couple of days since logging into LINK VRAINS, I did nothing but watch and see what the virtual world had to offer. Most of my time was either spent looking up job offers in LINK VRAINS and other times trying to apply. I didn't even know you could try and get a job online like this, and I wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. I hadn't gotten much luck with getting back with my possible employers, but I was having my fingers crossed.

It wouldn't be until next Sunday, officially three months and twelve days since I arrived in the World of VRAINS, that I ended up becoming partners with the one guy I didn't want to get involved with at this point in time.

I had been hanging out at a small sweet shop because, hey, no matter how much you eat in LINK VRAINS you don't gain any weight or get fat, so what was the harm? I had pretty much gotten myself only the cheapest stuffs, like slices of cake and all that. When I get a nice, big fat paycheck, I was going to get myself that triple chocolate-layered cake that the shop was selling. It looked so delicious!

And unfortunately, I must have done something to piss off the universe because, before I had even taken a bite out of my afternoon non-existent snack, I heard someone shout.

"Hey! Someone stop him! He hacked my friend's account and stole all our cash!"

I looked over my shoulder and found a shady looking dude booking it like crazy. Dressed like one of those stereotypical suspects, wearing a large trench coat with a face mask and sunglasses. It was like the guy was begging to be arrested, if not for the fact that I had seen worse avatars.

Don't ask. Just _don't_. It's for your own good.

Now, normally, one would think that I would just ignore this, right? I mean, it didn't have anything to do with me. I wasn't a coward by any means, but let's look at things logically. Do you expect to find every person on the street just rush and try to nab a thief, just because it's the right thing? If anything, it's like watching a train wreck. You can't look away, and you don't do anything to help because of this subconscious fear. This idea that, if you try to help, something bad might happen to you.

To this day, I'm not sure why I found myself chasing after the guy. There should have been no reason why I would go after him. I honestly think that it was because of the bitch who sent me here, perhaps nudging me and remembering my first day on the job when I was working as a mall officer. The situation was almost the same: some guy just grabs a woman's wallet and tries to book it. I had to stop him.

Huh. Maybe it was because I used to be a cop, or at least a mall cop, that I chased after him.

The chase didn't last for every long. The guy must have been thinking about getting into an alley, then log off and bank in on his latest mark. Shame for him that I used to be in track. Wasn't the best, mind you, but I was fast enough to keep up with the guy. Better yet, I cornered him into a dead end.

"Okay, pal. You have one of two choices. Either one, you return the money you stole, or two, I make you."

Was it stupid of me to think he'd just willingly hand over his cash? In hindsight, the answer was yes. I was prepared he would try something, but the reveal that this guy had an illegally modified avatar, one that would let him do some bad damage to anyone he caught in his grasp, had me terrified. I didn't let it show and instead remained as calm as I could before I put my custom-made Duel Disk to work.

This was also pretty much another reason why I modeled my avatar after an animesque game cop. Remember the Duel Anchors? Picture that, except the anchor is like a grappling hook that attaches itself to your wrist. The guy was caught.

"What the-?! Shit! You a bounty hunter?!"

I rolled my eyes. "Nope. Just a stupid, good samaritan. Still wanna resist?"

The thief snarled. "Like hell I'll just roll over like this! I finally got back at that asshole for what he owes me!" I didn't realize that the anchor had wrapped itself around a Duel Disk, so imagine my surprise that my first Duel just so happens to be with this guy. "I ain't gonna let you throw me to the dogs! You want this cash back, bitch?! Beat me!"

Ah, anime-storyline logic. Even in a real lifelike work, you never cease to amaze.

In truth, I was a little nervous. I was worried that, maybe, this was going to be very bad for me. I mean, I hadn't dueled until now. At least, not in LINK VRAINS. What if I screwed up?

Regardless of what I thought...I had a thief to nab.

"_Duel!"_

**Arc – LP 4000**

**Thief – LP 4000**

"I get the first Turn!" the thief said before I could start. "I summon Red-Eyes Baby Dragon!" Blue pixels crawled up from the ground, taking on a solid shape. An adorable, yet ferocious black creature, armed with tiny sharp talons and razor sharp teeth appeared, red eyes burning like fire.

[Red-Eyes Baby Dragon / DARK / Level 3 / Dragon / Effect / ATK 1200 / DEF 700]

My eyes widened. "Red-Eyes?" I asked in a small whisper. I remember the ace monster of that particular kind of archtype. The original anime flashed in my head. I gulped and sincerely hoped that this guy didn't have any Red-Eyes Black Dragons in his deck.

"Then I banish my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon to Special Summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon from my Hand!" The baby dragon didn't stay for very long, much to my disappointment. To my fear, the guy summoned something that really terrified the shit out of me. In the tiny dragon's place was a seven foot dragon clad in metal, easily able to tear me into tiny pieces while its bloody eyes glared down at me like I was some kind of insect.

[Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon / DARK / Level 10 / Dragon / Effect / ATK 2800 / DEF 2400]

"2800 ATK, on the first Turn? Are you _kidding_ me?!"

"Hah! Bet you're regretting taking me on now, lady!" the thief said smugly. "But I ain't done yet! Once per turn, Darkness Metal Dragon lets me Special Summon a Dragon-type monster from my Hand or Graveyard! I'll Special Summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

My heart sank a little as I saw one of my favorite Duel Monsters appear. Any other time, I would have been ecstatic to see it in person. Just one problem: the damn thing looked like it wanted to eat me.

[Red-Eyes Black Dragon / DARK / Level 7 / Dragon / Normal / ATK 2400 / DEF 2000]

"It's not staying for long, because I'm tributing it to bring on something even stronger! Let me introduce you to the Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon!" Red-Eyes vanished, breaking off into blue pixels before an even bigger dragon took its place. If Joey's ace monster was impressive, this thing was vicious-looking. Every inch of it was jet black with glowing red markings, hovering in the air.

[Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon / DARK / Level 9 / Dragon / Effect / ATK 2400 / DEF 2000]

I grimaced. Two monsters with high ATK on the opening move. I was thankful that this guy couldn't attack on the first turn, because that was one hell of a lineup. The thief laughed, confidence now overwhelming his earlier fear and anxiety. "What do you think, lady?! Not bad for a crook! And I ain't done! I activate Foolish Burial to send a monster in my deck to the Graveyard! As for why, my Darkness Dragon gains 300 ATK for every Dragon-type monster in my Graveyard! Since my Red-Eyes Black Dragon and the monster I tossed with Foolish Burial, The Black Stone of Legend, Darkness Dragon gains 600 ATK, bringing its total power to 3000!"

The red markings on the dragon's body began to glow more intensely. It let out a bellowing roar that shook the air, making me recoil.

[Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon: ATK 2400 → 3000]

"I end my Turn!" the thief finished. Thank god he didn't set any traps. I did not want any surprises. "Let's see you try and overcome by dragons!

I'll give the guy this much, he really knew what he was doing. He brought out two monsters with some major firepower. I wasn't going to lie, I knew I was in deep trouble. I glanced down at my cards and hoped I had something that could give me an edge.

Will say this, though. This was one hell of a way to start my first-ever duel in LINK VRAINS.

"My Turn, draw!" I swiped a card out from my deck and immediately looked at what I had. This could work. "When I have no monsters on the field, I can Special Summon Aberrant Arc – Alpha from my Hand!" Appearing in front of me, form built from blue pixels, was a silvery creature standing on bipedal legs, golden markings etched into its body while deep blue eyes peered out eerily calm. It's arms were folded, as if confident, while a pair of thrusters were protruding out from its back.

Not gonna lie. It looked _damn_ cool!

[Aberrant Arc – Alpha / DIVINE / Level 5 / Cyberse / Effect / ATK 1200 / DEF 500]

The thief's eyes widened beneath his sunglasses. "Cyberse-type? The heck is that… What?! It's a DIVINE Attribute?! But that can't be!" He glared and pointed a finger at me. "Y-you! Where did you get that kind of card?!"

"From someone I hate." I deadpanned. "And I'm still in the middle of my turn, pal. I activate Aberrant Arc – Alpha's Effect and add 1 "Aberrant" card to my Hand. Then I Special Summon Aberrant Arc – Omega from my Hand through its effect!" The next one to appear was smaller, but what it lacked in size it made up for with the wicked-looking sickles on its arms.

[Aberrant Arc – Omega / DIVINE / Level 1 / Cyberse / Effect / ATK 100 / DEF 100]

"Since I now have two Aberrant monsters on the field, I can add a Pendulum "Aberrant" monster from my Deck or Extra deck to my Hand. I add Aberrant Shard – Red from my deck!"

The thief was stunned. "Pendulum? In this day and age?"

I ignored him and continued. "I Special Summon Aberrant Arc – Gama!" The third monster to appear was another silvery creature marked in gold, standing on its hind legs with cannons attached to its shoulders. "Gamma can be summoned from my Hand if I control two or more "Aberration" monsters with different Levels."

[Aberrant Arc – Gamma / DIVINE / Level 6 / Cyberse / Effect / ATK 2000 / DEF 1000]

"Next, I summon Aberrant Arc – Beta!" The fourth monster to appear was a little on the lackluster side, to be honest. It had no kickass feature like the other three, except perhaps for its spade-tipped tail and sharp claws.

You know, now that I actually look at these things, they kind of look like the Legion things from Astral Chain. Was it coincidence, or…?

...probably not, given it was the bitch who made them.

[Aberratnt Arc – Beta / DIVINE / Level 3 / Cyberse / Effect / ATK 1200 / DEF 500]

"If Aberrant Arc – Beta is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add a Pendulum "Aberrant" monster to my Hand from either the deck or Extra Deck! I add Aberrant Shard – Blue from the Extra Deck!"

I looked at my field. I now had four monsters.

Here's hoping I don't screw this up! Now, how did that chant I made go again? Oh, right. Ahem-!

"Appear! The circuit that crosses the dimensions!" I said with as much passion as I could muster, all the while hoping I would get over this burning embarrassment. God, saying it out loud was just something else. I hope no one is hearing me say this crap. I will say this, though. Seeing that floating circuit hover in the air above me was even cooler than I thought it looked. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning condition is one Aberrant monster! I set Aberrant Arc – Beta in the Link Marker! Circuit Combine!"

The aforementioned monster that I had just recently summoned lost shape, becoming a body of pure golden light before it shot upwards, slamming right into the bottom center cursor on the circuit before the marker lit up. A "pulse" was released before I could see inside the circuit. Slowly, but surely, a monster was emerging, built up from a digital frame.

"Appear! Link Summon!" The monster appeared from a flash of brilliant white light. This one was the same as the others; silvery with bipedal legs, but having blue markings etched across its body instead of gold ones. It's face was distinctly shaped, slightly more narrow and possessing a visor instead of eyes. In hand was a double-bladed spear. "Link 1! Aberrant Legion – Spear!"

[Aberrant Legion – Spear / DIVINE / LA: Bottom / Cyberse / Link / Effect / ATK 500 / LINK-1]

"A Link Monster?!" the thief stammered. "B-but it's ATK is way lower than my Red-Eyes dragons!"

I waved a hand in dismissal. "I'm not done yet, old timer. I activate Aberrant Arc – Gamma's Effect! I target two "Aberrant" monsters on my field and change their Levels to match Gamma's! I change Aberrant Arc – Alpha and Omega's Levels to 6!"

"You changed their Levels? W-wait, don't tell me…!"

I grin. "Yep! I Overlay my Level 6 Aberrant Arc – Gamma, Alpha and Omega!" Blue sparks flowed around my Duel Disk. It freaked me out at first, but I quickly grew accustomed to it and threw the sparks behind him, which tore right off and formed into what looked like an X-shaped grid with four red markers in each space. "With these two, I build the Overlay Network!"

The monsters broke apart into glowing motes of light, flowing into the grid behind him. Three of the dots glowed red before the ends of the X fired beams of light, converging into a single point. It created a swirling doorway, a portal to another world. "_The unlimited power that rests outside the laws of nature and reason_! _Manifest as the singular entity of power_! Xyz Summon!" A twisting spire of coding, like a strand of DNA, broke apart and reformed, allowing the monster within the portal to appear. This time, the creature who appeared was jet black instead of silver, dark purple markings lining its impressive form. It stood proud and regal, arms folded and red eyes glaring at the two dragons before it. Two orbs of light circled around it It also had some kind of battle skirt as well, coming down to its calves. It kind of looked like a knight, except it wielded a slim rifle, the barrel twisted around like some kind of cord. "Appear, Rank 6! Aberrant Code – Ø!"

[Aberrant Code – Ø / DIVINE / Rank 6 / Cyberse / Xyz / Effect / ATK 2500 / DEF 2500]

"As for my next trick, I'll set the Scale 1 Aberrant Shard – Red and the Scale 8 Aberrant Shard – Blue in the Pendulum Zones, therefore setting the Scales of the Pendulum!"

To my disappointment, there were no shimmering pillars of light or incredibly weird trippy technocolor lights or giant swinging pendulums in the sky. Instead, the world just developed a blue hue with a grid forming right over the surroundings. Overhead, there was a giant metal gate, similar to the silos used to house missiles, though it resembled the circuit that appeared whenever someone performed a Link Summoning. On either side of me were the monsters, semi-transparent and floating in the air. They had no actual defined form, just an outline of what they were and looking like holograms, glitching out. And true to their name, one was red and the other was blue.

It was pretty cool.

"With this, I can summon any monster from my Hand or Extra Deck that's between Levels 2 and 7 simultaneously!" I said. "_The power that crosses time and space_! _Open the gateway to a new world_! Pendulum Summon! I summon Aberrant Arc – Sigma and Zeta from my Hand!" The giant gate pulled itself open as two streams of data came down, forming into a physical body. Two silvery creatures, one armed with a polearm and the other more bestial looking, a wild mane along its backside with a gaping mouth lined with jagged fags.

[Aberrant Arc – Sigma / DIVINE / Level 4 / Cyberse / Effect / ATK 300 / DEF 1000]

[Aberrant Arc – Zeta / DIVINE / Level 4 / Cyberse / Effect / ATK 1300 / DEF 2000]

"I Overlay my Level 4 Aberrant Arc – Sigma and Zeta and construct the Overlay Network once more!" The grid reappeared behind me, and the monsters lost their shape, falling into the grid. Once more, that swirling galaxy in front of me created a brand new, jet black monster. "_Power that exists outside the laws of reason_! _Pursue your target without relent_! Xyz Summon!" The new Xyz Monster that appeared was the same as the other one, except instead of a rifle it was carrying large handcuffs. Trickstar Crimson Heart immediately to mind, especially when I noticed that this one was distinctly more feminine, having a bust and some finely shaped hips. Its helm was pointed, much like that of a European knight's. "Appear! Rank 4! Aberrant Code – One-Ten!"

[Aberrant Code – One-Ten / DIVINE / Rank 4 / Cyberse / Effect / ATK 2200 / DEF 1000]

Before I could do anything else, the thief shouted angrily. "Hey! The hell do you think you're doing, you cheat?! You can only Special Summon a monster from the Extra Deck if its in a Monster Zone that a Link Monster points to!"

"True..." I smirk. "But once per turn, One-Ten can be Special Summoned in a Main Monster Zone, right next to a monster I control who just so happens to be linked to a Link Monster on my Field!"

A quick look at my field told one everything. Aberrant Legion – Spear was in my Extra Monster Zone, and since its Link Marker was a bottom one, it was pointing to the Main Monster Zone below it. That was the zone Aberrant Code – Ø was occupying. Normally, I wouldn't be able to summon another monster from the Extra Deck unless my Link Monster had another Link Marker aimed at another Main Monster Zone.

But, effects can be pretty broken, you know?

"W-what?" the thief gulped. Then he shook his head, his shaky confidence shining through. "B-big deal! None of your monsters can beat my Red-Eyes!"

"You sure about that?" I called back, shocking him. "I activate Aberrant Code – Ø's effect! I detach an Overlay Unit and reduce a monster on your field's ATK by half!" The aforementioned creature's eyes glowed ominously as it raised an arm and crushed one of the floating orbs around it. Black sparks danced around its body before they were sent forward, wrapping around Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon, forcing it down to the ground with its head drooped. "I reduce Darkness Dragon's ATK by half, then add its lost ATK to Aberrant Code – Ø!"

"What?!"

[Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon: ATK 3000 → 1500]

[Aberrant Code – Ø: ATK 2500 → 4000]

The thief paled. "4000 ATK…?"

And now, it was time for the moment of truth. "Let's say we wrap this up, yeah? Aberrant Code – One-Ten! Wipe out Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon with your **Circuit Break**!" The feminine monster twirled its giant handcuff around before it sent it flying, wrapping it around the dragon and locking it in place. Then, with a twirl, it pulled the dragon up into the air, then brought it straight back down with a heavy slam, destroying it in an instant.

**Thief – LP 4000 → 3300**

"This..." the thief grimaced as he took a step back. "This is fine. I still got plenty of life points, even if she destroys my other Red-Eyes." he muttered to himself. Not gonna lie, it was kind of creepy. "Y-yeah. And her other monsters' ATK are too low! I still got this. I can still get away. I just-I just need a good card next turn!"

Now, how did that line go again? Oh yeah! It went just like this-!

"There won't _be_ a next turn for you!" I declared, shocking him. "I'm finishing you off right here with Aberrant Code – Ø's effect! By detaching its remaining two Overlay Units, it gains the ATK of all monsters you control!"

"T-that thing has 4000 ATK right now, a-and my Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon has 2800 ATK..." The thief's legs started to shake, nearly about to collapse underneath his feet. "No way… T-that means, i-i-i-its ATK will be-"

"6800." I smirk as a crimson red aura began to surround my monster as it destroyed the remaining orbs floating around it, its presence becoming more pronounced. It raised its rifle, ready to deliver the silver bullet.

[Aberrant Code – Ø: ATK 4000 → 6800]

"Alright, Ø! Get rid of that poor excuse of a Red-Eyes with **Final Bullet**!" Its visor glowed ominously, and power began to gather at the tip of its rifle. With a pull of the trigger, a powerful crimson stream shot out from the barrel and pierced straight through that metal piece of junk's torso. In the next second, it exploded in a way that would make even Michael Bay jealous. The resulting explosion even threw the thief into the air screaming before coming crashing down, right into a pile of trash. Where he belongs.

**Thief – LP 3300 → 0**

I stared at the field. Now that the duel was over, my first ever win in LINK VRAINS, the monsters all disappeared and vanished. My anchor detached itself and returned to my Duel Disk. I looked at my Duel Disk and opened up the terminal. I couldn't help but smile, noting how that impromptu lecture I got from that Spectre guy online had proved useful after all. The thief had nooo firewalls or defensive measures at all! I had access to not only the money he stole, but also his personal information.

With a cheery smile, I sent this information to the police. This would ensure the money the guy stole was returned, and he would be punished acording...ly…

I realized it only after I sent the information to the police. I beat him on the second turn. A turn where I was allowed to attack.

I just did an OTK.

"I. Am. Fucking. _Awesome!"_

I would like to point out, however, that that duel was my ONLY OTK while I was a duelist.

I was still very happy, turning on my heel and ready to get back to eating sweets that wouldn't get me fat. Unfortunately, I only got about maybe ten feet out of the alley when I heard a familiar, scratchy and growling voice stop me dead in my tracks.

"Hold it."

I stood ramrod straight. Slowly, almost mechanically, I turned my head. Someone had been watching my duel with keen interest, only now making themselves known as they stepped out into view. It was the _last_ person I wanted to take an interest in me, right next to Queen and the Knights of Hanoi.

Blood Shepard.

"Aw, fuckberries..."

I'd like to tell you what happened next, but my recorder's about to die. Again. If you believe in my story, there's another tape in the box. And if anyone is listening to these tapes…

...please tell Kengo I'm sorry.

* * *

**END OF RECORDING #1**

**CONTINUE?**

_**Yes**_

_**No**_

* * *

Aberrant Arc – Alpha / DIVINE / Level 5 / Cyberse / Effect / ATK 1200 / DEF 500 / If you control no monsters: You can Special Summon this card (from your Hand). (Quick Effect): Once per turn: You can add 1 "Aberrant" card from your deck to your Hand. (You can only use each effect of Aberrant Arc – Alpha once per turn).

Aberrant Arc – Omega / DIVINE / Level 1 / Cyberse / Effect / ATK 100 / DEF 100 / Once per turn: You can Special Summon this card (from your Hand). If you control two or more "Aberrant" monsters: You can add 1 Pendulum "Aberrant" monster from your deck or Extra Deck to your Hand. (You can only use each effect of "Aberrant Arc – Omega" once per turn).

Aberrant Arc – Gamma / DIVINE / Level 6 / Cyberse / Effect / ATK 2000 / DEF 1000 / If you control two or more "Aberrant" monsters with different Levels on the field: You can Special Summon this card (from your Hand). Once per turn: You can target 2 "Aberrant" monsters you control; change their Levels to match the level of this card, and if you do, Xyz Summon using this card and monsters you control. (You can only use each effect of "Aberrant Arc – Gamma" once per turn).

Aberrant Arc – Beta / DIVINE / Level 3 / Cyberse / Effect / ATK 1200 / DEF 500 / When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can add 1 Pendulum "Aberrant" monster from your deck or Extra Deck to your Hand. (You can only use this effect of "Aberrant Arc – Beta" once per turn).

Aberrant Legion – Spear / DIVINE / LA: Bottom / Cyberse / Link / Effect / ATK 500 / LINK-1 / 1 "Aberrant" monster  
If your opponent controls a Link Monster with a Link Rating of 3 or higher: You can treat this card as having the same Link Rating. Once per turn (Quick Effect), if your opponent controls a Link Monster with a Link Rating lower than the Link Rating of this card; You can negate that card's effects. Once per turn: You can discard 1 "Aberrant" card; Special Summon 1 "Aberrant" monster from your GY to a Zone this card points to.

Aberrant Code – Ø / DIVINE / Rank 6 / Cyberse / Xyz / Effect / ATK 2500 / DEF 2500 / 3 Level 6 "Aberrant Arc" Monsters  
You can detach 1 Xyz material from this card: Target 1 Effect Monster your opponent controls; its ATK becomes half its current ATK, and if it does, this card gains that lost ATK. During the Battle Phase: You can detach 2 Xyz materials from this card: This card gains the ATK of every monster your opponent controls in the Main Monster Zone until the end of this turn. (You can only use each effect of "Aberrant Code – Zero" once per turn.)

Aberrant Shard – Red / DIVINE / Level 8 / Pendulum Scale: 1 / Cyberse / Pendulum / Normal / ATK 0 / DEF 2000  
Pendulum Effect / You take no damage if you control an "Aberrant" monster and if this card is the only card in its column. Once per turn, if a monster you control would be destroyed: You can negate that card's destruction.  
Normal Text / A being of unknown origin. Alongside its companion, the red malice, one who holds both in their possession can alter space and time.

Aberrant Shard – Blue / DIVINE / Level 4 / Pendulum Scale: 8 / Cyberse / Pendulum / Normal / ATK 2000 / DEF 0  
Pendulum Effect / (Unless you control an "Aberrant" card in your other Pendulum Zone, this card's Scale becomes 4). "Aberrant" monsters you control cannot be destroyed by card effect if this card is the only card in its column. If you would take damage: You can tribute 1 "Aberrant" monster you control: reduce the damage to zero.  
Normal Text / A being of unknown origin. Alongside its companion, the blue peacekeeper, one who holds both in their possession can alter space and time.

Aberrant Arc – Sigma / DIVINE / Level 4 / Cyberse / Effect / ATK 300 / DEF 1000 / When this card is Special Summoned: You can set 1 "Aberrant" Trap Card from your Deck. If, on your next Turn, the set card has not been activated; return that card to your deck. A monster using this card as a material gains the following effect:  
● This card cannot be destroyed by battle or the effects of Effect monsters.

Aberrant Arc – Zeta / DIVINE / Level 4 / Cyberse / Effect / ATK 1300 / DEF 2000 / If this card is Special Summoned: Draw 1 card. If you have four or more cards in your Hand: You can Special Summon 1 "Aberrant" monster from your Deck with its Effects negated. (You can only use each effect of "Aberrant Arc – Zeta" once per turn).

Aberrant Code – One-Ten / DIVINE / Rank 4 / Cyberse / Effect / ATK 2200 / DEF 1000 / 2 Level 4 Monsters  
Cannot be destroyed during the Battle Phase while linked. Once per turn, you can target 1 monster in your opponent's Main Monster Zone: Detach 2 Xyz materials from this card; Gain control of that monster until the end of your Turn, but this card cannot attack. (That card cannot be tributed nor can it be affected by your card effects, also for the duration of the Turn, that card's name is changed to "Aberrant Alteration"). Once per turn: You can Special Summon this card to a Main Monster Zone, next to a monster you control that is linked to a Link Monster you control.

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE**:

_Starlight_ – So, to quote what Donny told you, "So you want to join El magnifico Pastor de la Sangre _*Spanish guitar and whip crack*_ Blood Shepherd? Do you really think you've got what it takes, señorita?"

_Stranger_ – First of all, please don't look at my PMs without asking. And secondly, I don't really have much choice in the matter.

_Starlight_ – Sorry, couldn't help myself. Anyway, pretty good duel. Shame we couldn't get Donny on board, what with him being busy and all.

_Stranger_ – Isn't he working on the Tag Duel in Pendulum's Fifth Swing?

_Starlight_ – Yep! Got him working like a slave! ...don't tell him I said that.

_Stranger_ – Why? Chances are, he'll be reading this and see the author's note himself. Then you'll be out one duel writer. And that will entirely be your fault.

_Starlight_ \- ...touche, capitan. At any rate, since these are apparently recordings, and the fact that we're talking right now, does that mean you eventually made it back?

_Stranger_ – Yes, and no. Long story.

_Starlight_ – Huh. Okay, then. Welp, I'll get back to my stories, then.

_Stranger_ – Everyone, please thank Starlight's Poet, who helped contribute to the majority of this chapter. I wrote only a few segments, as I am still on break. This whole chapter may as well be his own work. We hope you enjoyed it!

EXTRA NOTE: Regarding the summoning of Aberrant Code - One-Ten and its effect. To be perfectly honest, I am not entirely sure if that is possible. If need be, I will make the necessary revisions, but I'd like someone here to clear up the confusion for me. Second note, I am still dealing with work, so further chapters and updates on my other stories won't start until I've been given free time.

EDIT(7/4/19): Someone was kind enough to point out in a PM that Aberrant Code - Zero's effect worked only on Link Monsters. It has since been changed so Zero's effect only works on Effect monsters. Also, a thank you to 1307Unlucky for your critique.


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